End of the Line
by Stelena-Beautiful
Summary: Zack, realizing that Kelly is never going to commit, turns to the one woman who has been there for him for all long – Leslie Burke. The College Years, mostly.
1. Chapter 1

**End of the Line**

**Chapter 1: She's Not Coming**

_**Las Vegas, Nevada**_

"Okay, where is she?" Zack Morris asked in a harsh whisper as he waited at the front of the altar at the Little Elvis Chapel.

Samuel "Screech" Powers, one of his two best men, shrugged. "Maybe she got hungry on the drive up here and stopped for a hotdog. That actually sounds good right about now …" He said, scrunching up his face and rubbing his emaciated stomach. He could stand to put on a few pounds but Zack didn't give a rat's right now about that. Rather, he felt like hitting something or someone but resisted.

He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him Kelly wasn't coming but he tried to ignore it as best as he could. Wasn't it just two days ago that she was saying how much she looked forward to them finally committing to each other? Hadn't he wanted to believe it despite witnessing the cloud of doubt and apprehension in her green eyes?

"She's going to come, Preppy," his other best man, A.C. Slater said. "She's probably just held up at the hotel doing her hair and makeup. You know how finicky women can be."

"If Jessie was here right now, she'd punch you for that," Zack said.

"Well she's not here," Slater pointed out. "She seems to be missing as well …" Was Zack hearing things or did Slater sound as disappointed about Jessie's absence as Zack felt about Kelly's?

It didn't even matter though. Slater could run off with a showgirl for all Zack cared. All he wanted to do was get married to the girl of his dreams, who had been the girl of his fantasies for years and years now. They had had their ups and their really, really downs but they were together now and that's what mattered. Despite the fact that Kelly had wanted to wait until after college to get married, she had finally acquiesced and was going to marry Zack after all. By the time they returned for their senior year at CU in the fall, they would be living in the married dorms and eating out of Chinese cartons like every other broke couple. Zack was just crazy enough to want all that.

"Are we gonna do this thang or not?" The Elvis impersonator-slash-justice of the peace asked, strumming his guitar absent-mindedly.

"Yeah, we're going to do this 'thang'," Zack said. "The bride is going to show up eventually."

"Make sure she's here in the next fifteen minutes or you're out. I have a few couples out in the foyer waiting for their turn to be hitched."

Zack waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah …"

Slater was standing at the window, looking out over the parking lot below. "Hey, Preppy, Leslie and Alex are here. So is Lisa … And Jessie …" He gulped, automatically straightening his tie.

"And the bride?" Zack prompted. "Where the heck is she?" He walked – no, sprinted- over to the window to see the four women who had been so much a part of his life walking towards the building. They were all dressed in matching red strapless dresses, and wearing burgundy high-heels, with their hair pulled back in French twists the way Kelly had asked all of them to.

"They don't look happy," Screech observed.

Zack shook his head. "It's the heat. It's just the heat …" He was in total denial now. Full on denial. He had to believe Kelly was coming or he was going to feel like the biggest loser ever. And on top of that, it would hurt like heck to lose her.

Zack sprinted down the steps to the women. "Where's Kelly?" He immediately asked.

The four women looked at each other anxiously and then all at the same time blurted out, "She's not coming, Zack."

XoXoXo

Zack was sitting on the curb waiting for his un-wedding party to come out of the chapel so they could get the heck out of dodge. The last thing he wanted was to head back to California now – not when he was supposed to be on his honeymoon – but he also sure as hell didn't want to be sitting here, looking pathetic because he got stood up at the altar on the biggest day of his life.

His "crew" were inside all using the bathroom, or claiming too. Zack really knew that none of them had the guts to approach him when this dark rain crowd was brewing over his head. Good - he didn't need them anyway.

Just then, he felt a soft hand come to rest on his shoulder and for a moment, he was sure it was Kelly. She had returned to say she was sorry and it was all a big mix-up. He pictured telling her off and stomping away in retaliation though, forcing her to fight for him for once instead of the other way around.

"Zack," she said and he knew it wasn't Kelly.

"Go away," Zack said.

"I'm not leaving you like this," Leslie said, flopping down on the curb beside him, seemingly uncaring about messing up her dress the way Kelly would have.

"What - did you all draw straws to see which one of you ended up having to confront me?" He asked snarkily.

"It was toothpicks actually," she answered and smiled so he knew she was joking.

But he didn't feel like joking or even talking at all. He bristled as Leslie lightly touched his arm in a gesture of comfort. Didn't she know he didn't want to be comforted like he was some pathetic six-year-old who had gotten knocked down in the school yard by the fourth grade bully?

"Just go away," he barked.

"Come on, Zack, don't be like this," Leslie said.

"Don't be like what, Leslie – angry, pissed, and mad as hell?"

Leslie shook her head. "No, you're entitled to all of that. You're entitled to feel hurt and abandoned but don't push away your friends who care about you."

"Too bad Kelly doesn't care," Zack snapped.

"That's not true, Zack. She really does … it's just … She's not ready. We're still in college, she's going to med school next year, and it's going to be stressful …"

"Whatever, Leslie, just go away. I won't ask you again," Zack shouted.

"Friends don't let friends stew alone," Leslie said, refusing to budge from his side.

Zack practically growled at her. "And some friends know when to stop beating a dead horse, Leslie." He then sprung to his feet and stomped off into the distance, towards the dusty main road. Leslie watched in shock as Zack yanked off his suit jacket, hooked his thumb over his shoulder, and waited for some friendly serial killer to drive by and pick up his angry, hitchhiking self.

She considered running after him but resisted. He wanted to be alone and he was going to keep pushing her away like he always did. If he didn't want to be comforted, then why the hell should she even try?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Past Should Stay in the Past**

"So do you think Zack got axed by some serial killer?" Screech asked as he, Leslie, Alex and Slater all piled out of their rental car, a Buick La Saber which Slater had lamented looked like an old "fogies'" car for a good twenty minutes when the people at the rental service showed it to him.

"More than likely," Alex said. "I'll bet the driver looked deceptively innocent but lurking under his disguise of mental stability was a true psychopath …"

Leslie sighed. "Will you two quit it? It's our last night in Vegas and I intend to have some fun."

Three pairs of eyes all stared at her in obvious surprise. "What?" she asked. "I know how to have fun. I am not going to let Zack's bad attitude spoil what should be a great vacation."

"It's not that, Leslie. We just didn't think a stuffed shirt like you actually knew how to have fun or cut loose," Screech said.

"Well, then I'll show you. Tonight _I_ will be the life of the party."

Alex grinned. "You have to try mighty hard to show me up, Miss Burke. Everything knows that I am _la vida de la fiesta. _Which in translation means –"

"Yeah, yeah," Slater said. "Let's just go inside instead of standing around the parking lot looking like a bunch of idiots."

Alex nodded and grabbed Slater's hand as they moved forward. Leslie hovered back a minute and then followed them inside the Red Dragon Casino where they had all rented rooms on the tenth floor. Zach's room wasn't on the same floor as Zack had shelled out every last penny he owned to rent the honeymoon suite for himself and Kelly to spend the night.

But there would be no honeymoon. How do you have a honeymoon if no wedding has taken place? Leslie found herself feeling more than a tad angry at Kelly for pulling this stunt. Why hadn't she spoken to Zack, telling him how unsure she was about getting married before he drove all the way to Vegas? Before he stood at the altar waiting for her to walk in looking like a goddess in her wedding dress only to hear from their good friends that she wasn't coming? If Kelly cared for him at all couldn't she have let him down gently, instead of humiliating him?

_Shake it off, Les,_ she told herself. _Zack and Kelly have to deal with this on their own without your interference. All you can do is be a good friend to them – even though Zack is hurting too much to want friends around now._

She sighed as Alex kissed Slater, blocking the elevator banks. "Ahem," she coughed loudly.

"Oh, sorry," Alex said. "But what can I say? I'm irresistible to the opposite sex."

"Definitely," Slater agreed, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I'm going to head to the craps table right now. You two get all gussied up or whatever women do and meet Screech and me there."

"Okay, darling," Alex said dramatically giving Slater another long, deep kiss. They watched as he and Screech headed off in the opposite direction and then pushed the button to call the elevator.

"I can't wait to get these heels off," Leslie said as they waited for the next elevator.

"Ditto," Alex said. "I'm getting bunions."

Leslie chuckled a little. Then the doors slid open and they climbed onto the elevator. They leaned against the back railing and then Alex turned to Leslie and asked, "Are Jessie and Lisa coming to the casino tonight?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"No reason," Alex said, hemming and hawing.

Leslie waited patiently for the outburst that was to come. Still, she wasn't expecting Alex to throw herself at her, grasping her around the neck and flailing about in distress.

Leslie sighed. "Okay. What's this all about?"

"It's Slater." Alex answered, not relinquishing her hold on Leslie.

"Uh huh …"

"And Jessie."

"Uh huh …" Leslie said again.

"And, it's that I think maybe they still want each other." Alex shouted, tears suddenly welling in her eyes.

Leslie shook her head. "Wow. Where did that come from?"

"I just have a feeling, Leslie. I have a sixth sense about these things."

"Well, your sixth sense is going in completely the wrong direction this time. You and Slater have been together for almost three years. He is not going to end it for some high school ex-girlfriend."

"You think so?" Alex asked, sniffling loudly and wiping her runny nose on the back of her hand.

"I know so," Leslie said. "I mean, high school was a lifetime away. I had boyfriends then, too, but I can't think of one I would go out with again."

"Not even one?" Alex asked.

"Nope."

"But look at Zack and Kelly. They were high school sweethearts …"

Leslie nodded. "And look how that turned out," she said pointedly.

"You're right. I am not going to worry. Not at all," Alex said. "I'll keep a stiff upper lip." She jutted out her lips pointedly and Leslie smiled a little.

"The past is the past," Leslie said. "That's where it should stay."

XoXoXo

Leslie and Alex changed into more comfortable clothes and shoes and headed down to the casino. Alex wanted to bring three hundred dollars to gamble with but Leslie, being the ever practical one, convinced her not to blow her money. "Just take $75," Leslie had said.

Alex had reluctantly agreed and put most of her money back in her suitcase. They reached the casino and immediately saw two unexpected sights. For one, Jessie was sitting on a stool next to Slater and they were laughing and having a grand old time. It was as if Alex had never existed at all.

The second sight was even more unexpected. Zack was shooting pool at the billiards table with a bevy of beautiful women flanked on either side of him.


End file.
